It’s almost second nature, an intrinsic part of our driving rituals: switching on the car radio or plugging in our favourite playlist. We rarely think about it – the habit is as ingrained as fastening our seatbelts. Yet, it’s important to realize that our choice of music, the volume levels, and even our fondness for specific genres can greatly impact our driving habits and, ultimately, our safety on the road.
Welcome to this edition of Weird and Wacky Wednesdays where we bring you regular updates on not-so-regular news. For this week we have a mugger with romantic intentions, a leak from a beer factory (don’t get your hopes up), and the newest and youngest Taylor Swift fan in the world.
On this week’s Weird and Wacky Wednesday, we have unlikely waterslide buddies, unusual contraband from an Ecuador prison and a bonus trip to the ER for a ‘Price is Right’ contestant.
Follow along and get the weirdest and wackiest news from around the globe!
Stumbling upon an affordable room for rent in Vancouver feels like finding a unicorn. But what happens when the deal comes with hidden fees that increase the rent? Kyla Lee, a criminal lawyer, explores the legality of such fees and offers crucial insights into the rights of tenants in British Columbia. Don’t miss this informative article that delves into the Residential Tenancy Act and what you should know before signing your next rental agreement.
Kyla Lee, shares her thoughts on the recent deployment of Vancouver Police Department’s “public safety trailer” in Chinatown. This controversial surveillance tool has raised concerns among the community, with some calling it “creepy” and “big brothery.” Dive into the full interview with Vancouver Is Awesome to learn more about the debate surrounding this mobile surveillance tower and its potential impact on privacy.
Join Kyla Lee and Jeff Andreas as they talk about the legal woes of Donald Trump. They talk about the possible ways that the case could unfold and how a gag order might come into play. They also discuss how a RCMP officer is suing for defamation for strange reasons and not in the usual court.
“I mean he (Trump) does kind of seem like a cat that has nine lives”
-Kyla Lee on NL Morning News with Jeff Andreas
“Obviously, there are laws that prevent people from publishing something that is defamatory, but simply taking a video of an interaction and either providing your opinion on public events while sharing the video or just sharing the video itself wouldn’t likely rise to the level of defamation”
Despite it being Distracted Driving Awareness Month in British Columbia, the public auto insurer’s attempts to spread safety messaging are receiving more criticism than being effective in educating the public.
Although ICBC has attempted to clarify their intention, they posted a tweet on Monday instructing viewers to “Watch this if you’re unsure about where you can and can’t put your phone while you’re driving.”
A member of the ICBC road safety team explains where you are allowed to and not allowed to keep your cellphone in the car
“You probably know that when you’re driving it’s against the law to have your phone in your hand, in your lap, or even on the seat beside you,” Harvey Kooner says in the footage.
However, it’s the last detail that has many calling the insurer out. It’s in fact, totally legal for you to have your phone on the seat next to you — provided you are not using it.
“ICBC is currently running an ad on Twitter that actually misstates the law. I would know because I took the case to B.C. Supreme Court to get a ruling from the court specifically to indicate that it is lawful to have your phone sitting loose in your cupholder, loose in the car, on the passenger seat, so long as you’re not touching it or doing anything that’s defined as use within the Motor Vehicle Act”
Kyla Lee on City News
Kyla Lee, a criminal lawyer in Vancouver, was among those to call ICBC out, urging the insurer to “stop spreading misinformation.”
“R. v. Partridge 2019 BCSC 360 clearly says it’s totally lawful to have it on the seat beside you,” she wrote in a tweet.
Lee explains the prohibition in the Motor Vehicle Act involves “actively using” your phone “and is connected to actions involving the phone.”
I was surprised to see it, because it’s very rare for Health Canada to grant these types of exemptions. But the ability of Health Canada to give medical or research companies or scientific companies exemptions to rules around production, distribution, even sale and possession of controlled substances has always existed. That’s actually in use in lots of instances in Canada.
But at the end of the day, it’s really not a decision that is a political one. It’s a decision that is medical and scientific and that’s why it was a decision made by Health Canada, presumably, free from political interference
An opportunity to bring in more diversity to the Supreme Court of British Columbia is coming as B.C.’s current chief justice, Christopher E. Hinkson, is retiring from the position come October, after serving in the role since 2013. It is a chance to implement change to a position that has been historically held by white men.
“I walk down the hallways of the B.C. supreme court, I look at the portraits, and none of them look like me, and that doesn’t make me feel like I belong in this profession, I don’t think [it] reinforces the idea for other people that they need to make sense for people from more diverse backgrounds.”
Vancouver-based Metis lawyer Kyla Lee on CityNews
Lee says the problems candidates for the top job see are compounded by a lack of diversity at all levels in the legal profession.
The first indigenous supreme court justice was only appointed as recently as 2022, with the first justice who is a person of colour appointed in 2019.
A lot of clients call me to say “I got a DUI last night.” They want to know about disputing a 90-day DUI in British Columbia. The first and most important thing that I tell them is that there is only a limited time to dispute a 90-day DUI and that is why it is important to act quickly.
Contacting a lawyer for a 90-day DUI can be a scary process. But we are here to put your mind at ease. Below I will describe the process of what you can expect when you call a lawyer about your 90-day DUI.
